Coffee

Many of us really enjoy one or more cups of coffee each day.  With a little planning, you can reduce the environmental impact while you enjoy your coffee.  Here are some ideas:

• Used coffee grounds are great fertilizer.  Save the used grounds and sprinkle them on your houseplants (don’t overdo the amounts), your garden, or your lawn.  Mix them into the soil when you are planting.  I have heard that rosebushes and tomato plants grow well when used coffee grounds are added to the soil.  This also keeps the used coffee grounds out of the landfills.
• If you stop at a coffee shop to get your coffee, take your reusable cup with you rather than using the disposable cup and holder from the coffee shop. 
• If you have a coffee maker that uses pods, there are two options for reducing the waste.  You can buy reusable pods that can be filled with your own coffee grounds, so there is no pod to throw away and you can use the coffee grounds as fertilizer.  Some companies (Kauai Coffee is one) now offer coffee pods that use much less plastic.  Although it doesn’t say so on the box, it looks like the bottom portion could be compostable. 
• If you have a coffee maker that uses filters, look for a reusable filter basket or compost the paper filters. 
• Buy coffee that is grown and roasted in a sustainable manner.